Local

New Hartford closes bridge over Nepaug River BY KURT MOFFETT REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

NEW HARTFORD -- The Carpenter Road bridge is indefinitely closed, and taxpayers could decide whether it ever reopens.

First Selectman Daniel V. Jerram said a road crew noticed a large pothole on the bridge deck Monday morning, so the town's engineer, David Battista of Lenard Engineering, came to look at the bridge.

Battista found it to be sagging a bit over the Nepaug River, and said it should be closed immediately, he said.

"What the engineer is telling us is the water is getting behind the foundation, and when that happens it's over," Jerram said.

Battista had inspected the bridge Jan. 17, and at that time the foundation appeared to be solid, Jerram said.

The boards of selectmen and finance were planning to set aside $100,000 in the 2013-14 budget proposal for both the Carpenter Road bridge and the nearby Maple Hollow Road bridge for deck work alone.

Now the entire Carpenter Road bridge needs to be replaced, and that could cost $500,000 to $750,000.

"Bridges are extremely expensive," Jerram said, adding that the bridge is two feet shy of qualifying for state funds.

Ultimately, taxpayers will have to decide whether to spend that much money on an 18-foot-long bridge that is a popular cut-through for drivers who want to avoid Route 219 to get to Route 202.

Battista eventually will present options to the selectmen. The town could keep it closed or construct a cul-de-sac just before the bridge which would then permanently prevent access to and from Route 202.

First, Battista will brief the selectmen Tuesday about the study phase of the project. The bridge sits in a flood plain, and is regulated by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The local inland wetlands board will also need to become involved. The soil will have to be tested, and it will have to be determined how far the bedrock is beneath the surface.

Jerram said the town was going to make the Maple Hollow bridge the priority because his administration knew the regulatory process associated with the Carpenter Road bridge would take much longer to complete. Now, Carpenter Road is the priority.

"Sometimes Mother Nature throws these things at you, and you just have to respond and see how it goes," he said.

Jerram said he did not know how old the bridge is, but has been told that many of the town's bridges were rebuilt after the Flood of 1955.

The river still floods the bridge during major storms, he said, and that could be another factor in whether taxpayers support replacing the bridge.

The Board of Selectmen may end up giving voters several options.

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